Hope C. Solomons

Motor development in Yucatecan infants.

Infant motor development was studied in three socio‐cultural groups in Yucatan, Mexico, using the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) and the Bayley Infant Motor Scale. Eight infants (four boys and four girls) at each month of age from two weeks to one year and two weeks were examined in each group, a total of 288 infants (96 in each group). There were no significant differences in motor development among the groups or between boys and girls. There was an increase in abilities with age. Compared with the Bayley norms for the USA, fine motor co‐ordination was advanced in these children but there was a delay in walking. The DDST was unable to detect children more than one standard deviation below the mean on the Bayley Infant Motor Scale.

An Analysis of Accidents at A Day-Care-Center

An analysis of 1324 accidents over a 42-month period at a university day care center revealed that toddlers had the highest average number of injuries, most of them self-induced, that accidents peaked in mid-morning, and that September was the month with the highest accident rate. Although accidents were frequent, injuries were minor. Results are contrasted to those of earlier studies.

Is day care safe for children? Accident records reviewed

Accident records for 133 normal children, aged two months to under six years, attending a well‐supervised day care center were reviewed. Eighty children were involved in 488 accidents (range = 1 ‐19, mode = 1). Sex differences were not statistically significant, although more boys were accident repeaters. Only six injuries(1%) required physician referral even though 73% involved the head. Washing, ice or Tender Loving Care were sufficient treatment for 96% of the injuries. Despite numerous accidents, serious injury was very rare, and day care, indeed, seemed safe.

Biting in day care centers: incidence, prevention, and intervention

Analysis of accident logs in child day care centers indicates that biting is common, especially among toddlers 13 to 30 months of age. Children of this age often lack appropriate verbal skills and resort to aggressive means to achieve their goals. Still awkward in gross-motor skills, toddlers can also suffer self-bites following accidental falls. According to medical reports, human bites sometimes are more virulent than animal bites and can cause severe trauma. Although the AIDS virus has been cultured from saliva, transmission from saliva alone has not been documented. Bite injuries in day care, however, usually are minor and can be treated by washing, applying cold compresses, and comforting the child. Suggested methods to diminish the frequency of biting in day care include physical changes within the room, behavior modification, and other classroom management techniques.

Bite injuries at a day care center

Over a 42-month period, 66 of 133 children at a university day care center received 224 bites, three of them by insects. Most bites were inflicted by other children, but nearly 20% were secondary to falls. Toddlers 13 to 24 months of age were bitten most frequently. Most bites occurred mid-morning, randomly throughout the week, and most commonly in September. Suggestions are made for decreasing childrens aggressive biting in group care.

Standardization of the Bayley Motor Scale of Infant Development in Yucatan, Mexico

In this study, 288 infants in Yucatan, Mexico, were tested with the Bayley Motor Scale, and their results were compared with those for the us normative Bayley sample.

The Malleability of Infant Motor Development Cautions Based on Studies of Child-Rearing Practices in Yucatan

Tests with the Bayley Motor Scale were given to 288 infants, equally divided by sex, in Yucatan, Mexico. These were 2 to 54 weeks in age and came from three sociocultural levels. In comparison to USA infants, early acceleration of motor development was followed by a marked downward trend. This phenomenon, if observed in a single child, may indicate progressive neurologic disease. Child-rearing practices would appear to account for the difference in pattern of test performance.

The Physician and Psychological Appraisal

Because a child with a physical handicap is likely to develop behavioral and emotional problems, it is necessary for the physician to have a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of psychology, and an appreciation of the work of the psychologist in treating the handicapped child. This will enable the child to be treated as a ‘whole’ child and not merely as one with a physical handicap.